Friday, July 13, 2018

Guest Blog: How to Create an Amazing Brand on a Micro Budget

Many thanks to Ashley for reaching out and offering to share a guest blog with us, despite my e-mail reply lag. Enjoy her article!

Startup companies have it rough in terms of competing with already well-establishedconglomerates in their industries. That’s what makes branding such an effective tool; it

separates you from the competition and gives your business an identity. However, there’s a common misconception that proper branding requires tons of overhead.

The truth is, you don’t need a big budget to craft a successful brand. In fact, the critical aspects that go into creating your image don’t require money at all! Whether you’re just starting your business or are looking to reshape its identity, follow these six tips for success.

How to Create an Amazing Brand on a Micro Budget in Six Steps

Know Your Customer Base

Choose Your Words Wisely

Tell Your Story

Utilize the Right Content

Invest in Some Swag

Enlist Influencers

1.Know Your Customer Base

The word “niche” gets thrown around a lot, but it’s a lotmore important than you might think. Understanding your target audience and keeping the focus on them is a vital aspect to any businesses success these days. You need to know what they want, what they think, and how they like to spend their money.

Then, all you have to do is give them what they want. Shape your brand identity around them, in the look and operations of your online business. You’ll give be able to build an instant connection between your customer base and your brand, which is something that big corporations just can’t achieve.

2. Choose Your Words Wisely

Large business have the funds to craft multi-faceted branding strategies, but your businesscan be just as effective by taking advantage of key messaging. Ideally, you’ll want to craft one key message that communicates everything potential customers need to know about your brand, and have all your other communication complement that core message.

Take the time to consider what it is your business does for customers. Are you eco-friendly, or sourcing your materials sustainably? Does your personality shine through in your creations? What sets your product or service apart from similar ones? Most importantly, how do you want your brand to communicate with your audience?

Don’t overdo it. Providing your audience with too much information at once can overwhelm them. Keep things as short as possible while relaying key information, and spread out details intoindividual social media posts and newsletters. Take the time to ensure that your social media posts and product descriptions all match your tone.

3. Tell Your Story

The color and design of your logo might be important, but the story behind it is what attracts your customer base. Think about why you want to start this business in the first place, then try to incorporate that into your logo through messaging, colors and any other way possible. Your story tells customers something important about your business, giving personality to your brand and helping clientele identify with it.

Don’t be afraid to have an “About Us” page or simple blog on your website that spells it out for your customer base. This can be intimidating, but if you think of it as a way to hone in in your message, it will actually be very simple to write this copy. This step can give context to your brand, and increase buyers’ trust in your online store.

4. Utilize the Right Content

Whether in video form or blog posts, content marketing is king. Sharing relevant content with your audience builds a stronger brand while encouraging users to connect with your business. It sets you up as an authority in your niche, providing value to potential customers at the same time as it draws traffic to your site and gets eyes on your product.

If you’re short on ideas, consider a guide to how your products work, or a few videos that help explain your mission and purpose. Keep the focus on education and entertainment for the greatest success here. Be personable, concise, and think about how you can relate or connect with your audience.

Branded products are an inexpensive way to give people what they want: cool stuff! Who doesn’t want a t-shirt, coffee mug, or stickers with cool imagery?Promotional items for your business can really help spread the word, but also solidify a more personal relationship with customers and your brand. If you’re starting an online clothing store, this can be a perfect chance to show off your styles and build some buzz around your brand.

Don’t be afraid to have fun and get creative with your branding here. You’ll want to create something that you can share with customers and collaborators, that they will want to use often, and that will spark conversation about your online business.

6. Enlist Influencers

Influencer marketing is right up there with content marketing in importance. It allows your business to collaborate with someone who already has a well-established audience to give your promotionsa boost. There will always be a small group of influencers within your niche that understand your audience, and they can help you create valuable content that reaches a broader range of people.

It’s worth trying, especially at the start. You might even find another eCommerce business just getting started, that would be willing to promote your products so long as you promote theirs. This requires minimal effort, yet effectively increases your network and potential revenue.

You don’t need a hefty budget to create an amazing, identifiable, and trustworthy brand image. Remember to keep the focus on connecting with your audience, and you can’t go wrong. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, and refer back to these tips anytime to help get your creative juices flowing.

Ashley Lipman

Content marketing specialist

Ashley is an award-winning writer who discovered her passion in providing creative solutions for building brands online. Since her first high school award in Creative Writing, she continues to deliver awesome content through various niches.